Families USA Working Against Vermont’s Efforts to Quickly Get Waiver for Single Payer

In classic veal pen fashion Families USA is working against Vermont’s attempts to get the waivers,as soon as possible, it would need to move the state towards a single payer health care system. Families USA does claim to support Vermont’s reform effort, but just happens to opposes the very law needed to help make it happen in a timely manner. From VTdigger.org:

Kathleen D. Stoll, deputy executive director of health policy for Families USA, was in Central Vermont last week to talk with single-payer supporters, Democratic leaders and members of the Shumlin administration about her organization’s views on how Vermont’s push for waivers could undermine the Affordable Care Act. Stoll said the new national health care reform law is vulnerable to the whims of Tea Party activists who were elected on a wave of anti-government sentiment that crested with the November congressional election.

[…]

Stoll said the Brown-Wyden amendment, which would give states waivers to opt-out of the exchanges in 2014, could undercut the Affordable Care Act and open the door for states like Georgia to bypass requirements to offer adequate insurance.

Given the current political climate in Washington, she said, the waiver could “wipe out” the exchanges and result in “a completely unregulated market.”

“We want Vermont covered, but not at the expense of other states,” Stoll said.

Currently state can’t get a full waiver from the Affordable Care Act into 2017. This means Vermont would need to waste time and money setting up the exchange systems for the years 2014-2016 only to switch to another system in 2017.

A pathetic justification for Standing in the way of progressive reform

This “look out scary tea party” justification from Families USA for opposed the waiver move up and impeding Vermont’s efforts is truly pathetic. The law says the state can only get the waiver if the state’s alternative will be as effective or more effective than ACA. In addition the wavier would need to be approved by HHS, which would be under the control of President Obama in 2014 if he wins re-election. I highly doubt Obama would approve any tea party backed waivers that would destroy his signature law. Nor do I think Obama would have actually endorsed the Wyden-Brown bill if it was a real threat to ACA.

It just happens that if Vermont actually establishes a single payer like system, it would be a big lose for both the national brand name drug companies and the national private insurance companies.

By stopping the moving up of the waiver date not only means the opponents of the reform will get at least three more years to try to stop it from being implemented at the state level, but if history is any guide there is a highly probability a Republican will be president in 2017. And it is safe to assume a Republican administration is going to be less helpful with helping Vermont achieve progressive health care reform.

Jon Walker

Jonathan Walker grew up in New Jersey. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 2006. He is now living in the Washington DC area. He created a politics and policy blog, The Walker Report (http://jwalkerreport.blogspot.com/).